Winding Down

Where has this summer gone?  Have you noticed the date on the calender?  It’s already the end of August!

Of course, if you’re in Minnesota and you happen to walk out the door you can instantly feel that the sweltering heat of summer is still with us (especially this week, dang it’s been hot, and muggy!), but in looking at my garden I can see it winding down.

I yanked up my beloved zucchini plant the other day.  It just wasn’t looking happy or healthy anymore, I think all the chaotic weather we’ve had this season had just finally taken its toll.  In its full glory, it was a champ of a plant though and I thoroughly enjoyed its tasty fruits, and the few new recipes I tried using them in.

I had a good harvest of cucumbers this season too, but I see those dwindling down now as well.  There are still a few nice looking ones hanging out there, but they are no longer flowering, so they’ll be done before long.  They were great during their peak, and I even had enough of them come ready at one point to can a batch of my refrigerator pickles.  Other “life” stuff happened during that time too though so I never got around to it, but I still enjoyed eating them fresh anyway.

One sure sign that the growing season is coming to an end is that the tomatoes are ripening…

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And the bell peppers are finally turning yellow…

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And speaking of peppers, look at all my cute, yummy little jalapenos I picked this morning…

I can’t wait to eat them!

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Also, I harvested my carrots the other day and got a nice little handful…

This may not look like much, but I only have a tiny little garden ya know  ;), and last year I had a very poor turnout with my carrots, so these were extra wonderful to get.  My mom came out to the garden with me when I went out to pull them, and squealed with delight like a child as I pulled them from the ground.  It was really fun to see her so excited!   ♥

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And I’m excited that my little red pot of strawberries has sprung back to life, and is full of bright new blossoms.  I don’t know how the berries will taste at this point in the season, but the dainty little flowers sure are pretty to look at…

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Also pretty to look at are my sunflowers!  I named this sunflower Leo because I see a lion when I look at it.  😀

Leo is all drooped over now because of his heavy head, and looks a bit depressing, but I bet his seeds will be extra tasty.

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And although they’re mostly faded now, the phlox over on the other side of the house were absolutely stunning this year.  And they smelled so amazing…

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I’ve let all of my various mints go to bloom now, and they’re so lovely.  This one is my chocolate mint…

Mmm… ♥

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I still have green beans coming (gosh, this particular variety was just fantastic!), a few onions and some celery to harvest, along with the peppers and tomatoes, but I think it’s safe to say that the majority of my gardening season is nearing the end here.

Of course with the odd weather we’ve had this year, I could end up being pleasantly mistaken…

✿~Gardening is my therapy~✿